The preseason is more than a month away, but Jason Kidd is already thinking about the playoffs.

The new Nets coach enters his first year on the sidelines with a championship contender whose success hinges on the health of the veteran core. Kidd already is considering minutes restrictions for his players, starting with the likelihood the 40-year-old coach will rest 37-year-old forward Kevin Garnett for one-half of back-to-back sets this season.

“When you look at KG, probably no back-to-backs for him,” Kidd said yesterday at Nassau Coliseum, where renovation plans for the aging arena were announced. “But those are just topics right now that we’re throwing around to try and keep these guys’ minutes down because we are deep.”